The short answer is yes, you should do something like this. I wouldn't use snips, though, as you may deform them in the process. If you can get them ground to the same length, that would be optimal. Yes, it is possible to make them too short, but you'd have a long way to go in that realm.
The static is from an intermittent contact -- you might try some of that silver conductive paint that people are doing (although be careful not to join two adjacent pins electrically), as an alternative.